Case Study: Migrant Mother

The image analysis of Migrant Mother goes into great detail of how the meaning behind and discussion of this photograph has been altered to fit several different contexts in the years since it was originally taken. I found this case study to be extremely interesting, and opened my eyes to how an image can be pulled apart and analyzed in so many different ways that it can lose its authenticity. 

Dorothea Lange took this photograph while employed by FSA, which was a project in response to the depression of the 1930s. Since then, it has become one of the most reproduced images in the history of photography. The mass reproduction of a photograph like Migrant Mother is unprecedented, yet over time, it has been used and contextualized in a variety of ways that stray from its original purpose. It is clear that political and social purposes can be drawn from Migrant Mother, and as with any other political or social statement, controversy is easily attracted. The amount of conversation surrounding this photograph, however, is unprecedented.

In my opinion, this case study was a perfect example of photographic overanalysis. It seems unfair that the subject of this photo has received no compensation, and wasn't even able to comment about the photograph until 50 years after it had been published. Lange took the photograph with a purpose in mind; and while it is an extremely interesting photograph, its meaning has been changed time and time again "in relation to particular sets of concerns". I feel as though critics should take a step back and remember the subject of this photo and her story rather than the stories that have been created since it was taken.